P-I Reporter Todd Bishop has a good read on how Tellme Networks — the Silicon Valley company that Microsoft is buying — is rolling out software that allows people to search for business listings, stock quotes and other information by speaking into their mobile phones. The move is the latest volley in the battle over mobile search, a nascent area that is not yet dominated by Google. Medio Systems, a Seattle startup that scored $30 million in venture funding last fall, also is making inroads in voice activated mobile search.
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I wrote last week about Shelfari — the Seattle social network for book lovers — scoring venture capital from Amazon.com and others. On Sunday, The New York Times had a good overview on the category, primarily focusing on the pioneer, LibraryThing. And speaking of LibraryThing, today the startup announced a new service called BookHints that attempts to offer book recommendations based on what other people with similar interests like to read.
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Here’s more evidence that venture capitalists are placing big bets in alternative energy and clean technology. Investors pumped $1.28 billion into clean tech companies last year — almost double the amount in 2005, according to a report to be released Tuesday from Dow Jones VentureOne and Ernst & Young.
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Imperium Renewables today announced $113 million in equity financing and $101 million in debt financing, a massive funding round that the Seattle company is calling one of the largest in a biodiesel company in the United States.
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